Audi Looks Back on 20 Years of Its Audi Space Frame Design

AudiAudiGermany, 1909 > present83 models
8213 photos
27 videos
is celebrating 20 years since the introduction of its Audi Space Frame design at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 1993. It has continued to refine the concept into the monocoque of the A8Audi A8 Gen.3Germany, 2010 > present48 versions
116 photos
that weighs 231kg.

The original aluminum and high-strength steel design uses a honeycomb of extruded sections and pressure die-castings. The body panels are bonded to the frame to be semi-load supporting.

The ASF design went on sale in 1994 in the A8 as the first volume production car using a monocoque made mostly from aluminum. It was so complicated for the time that 75% of the 336 components had to be assembled mostly by hand.

After the A8, Audi continued with the ASF concept for the A2Audi A2Germany, 1999 > 20056 versions
12 photos
in 2000, TTAudi TT Gen.1Germany, 1995 > 200627 versions
40 photos
in 2006, R8Audi R8Germany, 2006 > present44 versions
141 photos
1 video
in 2008 and all generations of the A8. Since 1994, it has built 750,000 cars using the ASF principal. Over time it went from an aluminum and steel design to an all aluminum layout.